Bomb the System

amazing movie. i used to write but the fort got way to hot with the vandal squad crap, but this movie made me bust out the Krylon and fat caps and go out that very night. not only an amazing Graf doc. but also a damn good plot that anyone who has ever held a chisel tip can fully appreciate. it is a very real view of life as a writer, always on the run. despite their attempts to silence us we will be heard loud and clear. very moving and compelling.

if u view Graf as vandalism, don't watch this movie...

or better yet go out Bombin' and feel the realness of life on the run...

I just finished the film, and boy, it was not good at all. I've never seen any other movie about graffiti, and yet everything in this one seems clichéd. Many of the characters are not believable, for example the central villain is a "bad cop" who is just laughable in the way he is portrayed as pure evil. And it just DRAGS for about twenty minutes two thirds of the way through (and the movie is only 90 minutes long!). I almost went to see this last fall at the local film festival, but the schedule didn't work out, and I'm glad I saved my $10. If this was a film made by a group of high school students I would applaud them, but for a professional film this is just a pretentious waste of time.

Ignore what you've heard bad about this movie. Some writers might be upset that the movie doesn't go too into detail about actually putting graffiti up or saying that it's using incorrect terminology but those people completely missed what's good about the movie.

First off, the actual presentation, filming, camera movement, effects, etc. are all extremely artistic and original. The entire movie just makes you feel empathetic for the characters. The atmosphere, the scenery, all of it. Interludes between scenes of the main character always running, just running away.

The music is good too. It's all done by El-P, for anyone familiar with Def-Jux.

The whole movie though, it's just amazing... So many people overlooked this. Everything is just done so brutally realistic, how the way characters react and think, how life really can just be ****ed up. It's a powerful movie and the ending is the best part. (be warned though... it's sad...)

Much like the recent "Lords of Dogtown", "Bomb the System" is a film spotlighting a semi- underground subculture, in this case graffiti writers, wrapped around a narrative plot. Somewhat similar to "Kids", the story follows a young writer, "BLEST" as he tags, hangs out with friends, smokes pot, parties and tags again. This would all work fine as a minimalist, loosely structured, spectator piece, but instead, the filmmakers throw the dramatic storyline arc into the mix about a crooked cop and his ex-writer partner, which makes the whole thing seem artificial. Besides this major flaw, the film also suffers from over-acting, un-motivated hyper editing techniques and un-authentic slang dialouge. As an artist myself, I would suggest to neophytes looking to learn more about the culture to explore documentaries and check out websites. It's too bad that this film doesn't work, because the characters, like the filmmakers, seem to have a spiritual passion for the art of graffiti. The character Alex says in one scene something along the lines of while graffiti is aesthetically pleasing and stylistic, it the end, it stands for nothing. This particular line echos my thoughts and feelings about the film itself.

This film is the best graf film ever made that isn't a documentary. It isn't Beat Street. There is no wack or corny dialog. No weak links on the acting side. No stupid side plots. If you are not familiar with graf or the culture of writing then watch it and learn. Do not judge this film as you would a general genre film. This isn't a drama, or an urban drama....it is a GRAF FILM. Pure and simple. If you don't like dirty and lewd comedy don't bother seeing The Aristocrats. It you aren't into seeing independent films, gritty urban/graf or hip hop related films then DON'T BOTHER WATCHING OR REVIEWING THIS FILM! True heads only need apply. 10 out of 10 for staying true to the culture...everyone who gave this film 1's need to reserve them for The Fantastic Four or another mindless summer blockbuster. Read my in dept comments on the board titled "Is It That Bad?" One.